Francis Scott Key has been a comeback team all year and last night against Montgomery County power Bethesda-Chevy Chase, the Eagles again found themselves digging out of a cavernous hole. This time, their shovel wasn't quite big enough.

The host Eagles cut a three-goal deficit to one in the waning minutes, but couldn't finish the job in a 5-3 loss in the Class 2A West regional semifinals.

Bethesda Chevy-Chase (8-4-2) advances to the regional final, where it will play Middletown, a 2-1 winner over Rockville in double overtime yesterday, on a date to be determined. The Barons are in pursuit of ther fifth state title since 1978.

For Key (5-8-1), the season is over, though not from lack of effort. "This team didn't leave anything behind," said Key coach G. Hibberd. "I'm real proud of what we put out there tonight, because we could have stayed pinned up [on Key's end] all day. I think they're a little stronger than anybody we've faced."

Despite out-shooting the Eagles, 19-6, the Barons had to rely on their higher skill level to overcome an obviously hungry yet overmatched opponent.

"That was ugly," said BCC coach Barry Conti. "All I had heard about this team was that they were hard, hard workers. That proved to be absolutely the truth."

Bethesda-Chevy Chase broke on top 15: 19 into the game, when Juan Flores sent a corner kick toward keeper Tim Rogers. The ball hit the bottom of the crossbar, bounced off Rogers' hand and into the net to make it 1-0.

Thanks to a Barons miscue, it didn't take long for the Eagles to answer. Just 1: 30 later, the Barons' Nick Petty, deep in his own end, tried to clear the ball back to goalie William Nero. The back, however, left the pass short, allowing the streaking J.J. Montgomery to pick it off and score into an empty net to pull the Eagles even.

Later in the half, Key nearly took the lead when Montgomery's blast from 15 yards out sailed inches high.

It was the last five minutes before halftime that changed the complexion of the game.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase took a 2-1 lead with 5 minutes left when Marcos Garcia took a pass from Michael Goldman and put a shot off the goalie's hand into the net.

Then with just 11 seconds left, the Barons made it 3-1 when Garcia's corner kick ricocheted off a Key defender, off Goldman and into the goal.

Trailing 4-1 after a goal by Dan Dufera 3: 34 into the second half, the Eagles tried to mount a comeback, cutting the lead to two on Tom Long's goal off a pass from Davis following a corner kick with 28: 43 left.

They made it a one-goal game with 3: 27 to play when Montgomery scored his second goal, this one after beating a defender to a loose ball near midfield. But with 2: 54 left, Nathan Krautheimer's goal sealed the victory.